Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

’Shameless?’

Jiang Qingli explained, ”It’s not that serious. Just now, Yuan Shiyao used his superpower—mmph—”

Before she could finish, Ye Linyuan turned his head and pressed his lips to hers, silencing the rest of her words.

Jiang Qingli was about to pull away, but he swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, kissing her all the while.

The bedroom curtains were drawn shut, with only a single warm yellow lamp lit. A light, flimsy nightgown was tossed casually on the bed—the perfect scene for certain activities.

As he set her down on the bed, Jiang Qingli finally realized something was amiss and pushed against him.

This time, he let her push him away.

Ye Linyuan braced his hands on either side of her, his golden eyes narrowing. ”A change of position?”

”No, I just came back to change my clothes.” Jiang Qingli crossed her arms in front of her in a clear ”no” gesture.

Ye Linyuan didn’t move, nor did he speak.

But then—Jiang Qingli looked down and saw his snake tail slithering under the hem of her skirt, slowly coiling its way up her calf.

”Let me help.”

Ye Linyuan said, his forked, bright red tongue letting out a HISS.

He knew what she liked.

A tingling numbness crept up her leg. Afraid she would yield to his handsome allure, Jiang Qingli quickly rolled out from the gap between his arms.

”N-No...” Jiang Qingli turned her face away. ”You bite my leg every time. What if someone sees?”

”What? Afraid your new flame will see?” Ye Linyuan’s lips curled, his slitted pupils fixed on her reaction.

Jiang Qingli patted the top of his head. ”Don’t try to provoke me. Yueyue is waiting outside. I need to change quickly and get back to the bonfire party.”

She walked over to her suitcase and found that the clothes inside had already been taken out.

’They were still in there when I changed after dinner.’

”They’re in the walk-in closet.” Ye Linyuan used his snake tail to move behind her.

Jiang Qingli walked to the closet and opened the doors.

The clothes inside were neatly arranged, sorted by color from dark to light. Besides the dozen or so outfits she had brought, there were a few long dresses she’d never seen before—Ye Linyuan’s favorite style.

Jiang Qingli was a little surprised. ”Did you organize all of this?”

Ye Linyuan was noncommittal. ”Is there anyone else here?”

There wasn’t, of course. Jiang Qingli was just very surprised.

Ye Linyuan was the last person she’d expect to do something so domestic, yet he’d actually organized her clothes.

Grabbing a dress at random, Jiang Qingli held it up to herself in the mirror. Just as she was about to reach behind her back to unfasten her dress, Ye Linyuan came over and pulled the zipper down for her.

The sound of the zipper sliding open was neither loud nor soft, but it seemed to echo in the quiet room.

With a soft RUSTLE, the garment pooled on the floor.

Feeling his cool breath on her skin, a shiver ran down Jiang Qingli’s spine. She shifted her shoulders uncomfortably and urged, ”Quickly, quickly.”

Ye Linyuan took the dress from her hand and said in a hoarse voice, ”Arms out.”

Jiang Qingli complied, letting him slip the dress over her arms.

Their reflections appeared in the mirror. As Jiang Qingli watched Ye Linyuan’s slender fingers methodically straighten her dress, all sorts of scenarios flashed through her mind. Her face flushed slightly as she urged again, ”Hurry up, hurry up.”

Once the dress was arranged, Ye Linyuan wrapped his arms around her from behind. He rested his chin in the crook of her neck, closed his eyes, and murmured, ”One minute.”

It was an embrace devoid of any lust.

He was like a robot that had lost power, now drawing energy from her.

Jiang Qingli instinctively placed her hand over his, patting it soothingly. ”Are you okay? You seem a little out of it today, even lazier than usual. Are you injured again?”

”No.”

Ye Linyuan disliked explaining himself.

He intended to leave it at that, but meeting Jiang Qingli’s questioning gaze, he pursed his lips. ”...It’s too hot.”

He turned his face away, his eyes filled with a trace of disgust and irritation.

Jiang Qingli processed his words. ”You mean to say you’ve been in a bad mood all day just because it’s too hot?”

”Yeah.”

Male Beastmen were physically robust, and a top-tier male like Ye Linyuan would certainly never get heatstroke.

’Jiang Qingli recalled that Ye Linyuan always took cold showers and never drank hot water. She remembered offering him a sip of her hot drink once, and he’d frowned after a single taste... He seemed to genuinely hate the heat, but he’d never said a word about it, only admitting it reluctantly when she pressed him.’

’So shy about it, just like a little kid.’

’But for someone who hated the heat to go with me to the beach... that was pretty sweet of him.’

For some reason, Jiang Qingli found this uncharacteristic side of him rather cute. She reached out, squeezed his cheek, and leaned in to plant a quick kiss on him before skipping away before he could react.

The door swung shut behind her as if caught in a gust of wind.

Ye Linyuan raised a hand, touching the spot she had just squeezed.

A few seconds later, as if sensing something, he lifted his gaze to his side.

The young man in the mirror had a faint smile playing on his lips, looking to be in an excellent mood.

-

When Jiang Qingli and Lin Xiyue returned, the bonfire party was still in full swing.

After Truth or Dare had ended, they moved on to many other games.

Sitting next to Gu Nian, Jiang Qingli kept feeling like someone was watching her.

She glanced to the side. Most of the time, Yuan Shiyao was looking elsewhere. On the rare occasion their eyes met, he would offer her a calm smile and ask in a breathy whisper, ”What’s wrong, sister-in-law?”

’He’s acting like nothing’s different...’

Jiang Qingli realized he also wanted to maintain their current relationship. She smiled back at him, then turned away and let out a huge sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness. We can still be friends, not... whatever it is people are saying.’

’Otherwise... I don’t think I could face Cat Teacher.’

Jiang Qingli’s expression of relief was all too obvious.

The light in Yuan Shiyao’s eyes dimmed a little.

After a long silence, Yuan Shiyao took out his terminal and sent a message to Yuan Shimo—

[Bro, if Sister-in-law liked me, would you approve?]

The bonfire blazed ever higher, its shadows dancing wildly across the young man’s face like a life force that would never be extinguished.

As the party neared its end, a group of people stood up at Ke An’s urging and, as was custom, began to dance around the bonfire.

This dance didn’t require holding hands; people simply danced in pairs or groups of three.

Gu Nian pulled Jiang Qingli in for a spin, which drew a round of cheers. Then Lin Xiyue and Ai Li dragged her over, and the three of them circled a smaller fire like little kids playing ring-around-the-rosy.

In the warm glow, the girl’s eyes curved into crescents, her smile as bright as the spring sun, looking as if not a single thing in the world could trouble her.

Motes of light flew from Yuan Shiyao’s side, silently mingling with the sparks from the fire to dance gently around her.

His terminal vibrated a few times. Yuan Shimo’s reply had arrived.

Yuan Shiyao took it out and read the three words: [In your dreams.]

Yuan Shiyao: [We’re feline males, not pure-blooded humans.]

Yuan Shimo: [...]

Yuan Shimo: [Piss off.]

Yuan Shiyao took a deep breath: [Maybe... it’s really possible.]

Sensing that his tone was different from his usual fantasizing—that it was uncharacteristically serious—the other side went silent.

Yuan Shiyao hadn’t expected a reply anyway.

He slipped the terminal into his pocket and, just as Jiang Qingli was taking a break, walked up to her, held out his hand, and offered a silent invitation.

At this gesture, the area fell quiet, and all eyes landed on them once more.

Jiang Qingli froze for a moment. ”...A dance?”

Yuan Shiyao made no attempt to hide his intentions. Looking at her, he asked earnestly, ”May I?”

In the quiet of the night, he spoke her name, syllable by syllable, his voice filled with undisguised tenderness and hope.

”Qingli.”